Bulldog spirit of life o

Aship which was named after a dog will be on Wearside next year.

The Atyla is one of the ten vessels to have so far confirmed to be coming to Sunderland for next year’s Tall Ships festival.

The man that designed and built the ship, Esteban Vicente, had a French bulldog called Atyla.

Esteban loved the dog so much that, after Atyla died, he decided to name his ship after the dog.

And even though Atyla the dog is no more, there’s a new pooch on board. Olivia is an adorable Portuguese water dog, born in 2016.

So far, Atyla has sailed more than 40,000 nautical miles.

Last year alone, she visited Spain, France, Belgium, Holland, Portugal, Malta, Greece, Bulgaria, Russia, Romania and Italy.

Soon, she can add England to her list when she arrives on Wearside.

In 2017, she has already welcomed more than 95,000 visitors on board and we are sure that number will rocket next year in Sunderland.

She measures around 100ft in length and normally has a crew of 24, including 15 trainees.

A spokesman for Atyla said: “Our captain says he’s very excited to be visiting Sunderland.

“It’s a new port for him and Atyla, which means there is a lot of history and culture to explore, and new experiences to be made.

“New trainees will join us in this port for their educational adventure on Atyla and all together we will widen our horizons.”

Watch out for more features on the ships which are coming to Sunderland.

It’s less than a year until the Sunderland coastline is filled with the sight of magnificent tall ships.

The Tall Ships Races are coming to the city next July and they’re expected to bring 1.5 million people.

Are you going to be taking part next year?

Will you be boarding a ship for the first time – or are you a seasoned regular? Get in touch and tell us all about it.

Are you a business in Sunderland which is keen to get involved and wants to tell the world all about it?

Or perhaps you go to a school which is lining up all sorts of tall ships projects and stories over the next year. Whatever your story, we want to hear it.

We want to hear what part you will be playing in the spectacle.

Get in touch and tell us more. Email chris.cordner@ jpress.co.uk